This invention relates to post surgical drain receptacle supports, and more particularly to drain receptacle supports to be worn about the abdomen of a patient.
Following certain types of surgery, especially surgery involving the removal of tissue, the resulting body cavity may fill with fluid. Examples of such surgery include mastectomies and lumpectomies with auxiliary nodal dissection, which involved removal of lymph nodes under the arm. The removal of the large amount of tissue in such procedures creates a cavity, and as a result, the remaining lymph nodes secrete fluid which collects in the cavity. To relieve swelling and infection that may occur if the fluid is left in the body, a drainage tube is inserted through the surgical incision into the cavity. Such drain tubes typically have perforated ends through which fluid enters the tube from the cavity. Drainage of such fluid provides the further advantage of creating a negative pressure in the body cavity, thereby holding the skin against the muscle until it heals. When such operations require tissue removal from multiple sites, post operative treatment will utilize multiple tubes and bottles, each associated with a separate incision.
The drainage tubes are connected to receptacles, such as plastic bottles, for collecting the fluid. Depending on the surgery and the amount of fluid buildup expected, the number of drainage tubes and receptacles utilized can vary from as few as one to as many as four. However many drainage tubes are utilized, the managing of the tubes and their associated receptacles pose certain problems. In the past, it was common to pin the receptacles to clothing worn by the patient or to the bandage for the incision itself. While not very comfortable, this procedure was somewhat effective in the hospital where an open gown was worn, thereby easing the ability of the patient to accommodate basic bodily functions. Furthermore, the awkwardness and discomfort is increased with multiple sets of bottles and tubes. In addition, outside of the hospital, where patients wear standard, relatively constricting clothes, it is not practicable to use such means to receive drain bottles. Accordingly, with the advent of insurance company mandates on shorter hospital stays for many types of surgeries, these types of problems have become more prevalent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,233 to Turner attempts to address some of these problems by providing a single large pouch to be worn on a belt which extends about the waist of a post operative patient to support fluid drainage receptacles. The pouch of that device includes a pouch extension, an elongate loop of fabric which receives the belt and supports the pouch so that the pouch opening hangs down below the belt and deflects in an angular position when the lip of the pouch is pulled away from the wearer, thereby allowing easy access to the interior of the pouch. While the Turner patent resolves some of the problems associated with prior art post operative drainage receptacle supports, it is not completely effective. For example, the Turner device cannot hold a number of drainage receptacles individually in separate, secured positions about a patient's body in locations which avoid tangling of the drainage tubes.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a lightweight support device for drainage receptacles to be worn by post operative patients which comfortably secures the drainage receptacles against a wearer, which can be worn under clothing, which facilitates draining of the receptacles, and which can be positioned in a manner to avoid tangling and stress on the drain tubes.